Planning

Planning

Watershed and Sub-Watershed Planning

When initiating development within a watershed, the impact of the proposed activities must be assessed in terms of their impact on the system as a whole.  Watershed and subwatershed planning is used to develop an understanding of what is happening in the system.  The subwatershed plans are used to protect and enhance water resources and ecological functions within the system.

Environmental Resource Inventory and Management Plans

An Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) is a compilation of maps and text showing and detailing the natural characteristics and environmental features of a study area.  Maps graphically illustrate the location and extent of resources, and the text provides a narrative describing each resource and how it relates to other resources.  ERIs are prepared to document the character and quality of natural resources, including wetlands, streams, aquifers, floodplains, agricultural soils, forests, and open space.  An ERI can provide the background information and rationale to sustain, for example, open space requirements for the protection of streams, aquifers, wetlands, forests, and agricultural lands.

Databases, Mapping, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

The collection of vast amounts of data requires organization and referencing of the collected data so that it may be quickly referenced and analyzed to determine trends and relationships.  Databases represent a quick and easy way of storing data.  Preparation of mapping illustrates locations of unique characteristics that can be readily interpreted by the user.  GIS technologies easily integrate these two data mediums and provide a powerful tool that can be used to analyze large study areas.  Example applications include preparation of floodplain delineations, hydrologic models where parameters are developed based on land use, soil types and slopes, models of municipal sewer networks, and erosion potential modeling.